It opened with an extended European vacation and a long road trip across North America and back. It brought us a wonderful Winter Classic win against the dreaded Orange Crud. It included 51 regular-season wins. It totaled up to 109 points.

It tantalized us with two game sevens and 20 play-on games in all.

And then…

It ended in devilish disappointment.

Not only for the players, coaches and management. But for us, the fans.

We wanted more. We wanted nirvana. We wanted the Cup. But alas, the memories of ’94 will have to do — for now.

The Broadway Boys had a remarkable run. However, there’s much to be done in order for them to hoist the Holy Grail once again.

So without further adieu, here are seven key questions to think about during the off-season. Perhaps the answers could help lead the Rangers to the top of the mountain.

Highway 61 revisited? — Not only is the title of a legendary Bob Dylan album — it also happens to be Rick Nash’s uniform number. Will the Rangers turn to Columbus again, to try and pry the prototypical power forward to Broadway? And if so, who will go the other way? The differences between Nash and Blue Jackets management seem to be irreconcilable at this point. And now with Marian Gaborik on the shelf with a bum shoulder until at least November, the glaring need for more goals glares even brighter.

How many zeroes for Zach? At the stroke of midnight on July 1, Devils forward Zach Parise becomes the most sought-after player on the market. The Captain of his team. A player in his prime who may lift Lord Stanley’s Cup in the next two weeks. And he wouldn’t cost the Rangers a single, solitary asset from their roster. I know he’s a tremendous talent and would seem to fit ideally into the Torts style of play. But is he really worth all the dough and all the years that Mr. Sather would have to throw his way?

Plus, think about this — what would it tell you about the Captain of a team playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, if he were to leave that team — the only team he’s ever played for in the NHL, to sign with that team’s arch rival? Would it be just for the money, or because he really wants to be a Ranger?

Not only that, does it matter that Captain Zach wouldn’t even get a letter on his jersey? The Rangers room is already being run by Captain Callahan, as well as Brad Richards, Marc Staal and Dan Girardi. How would Parise ultimately react to that? And we don’t have to look any further than Bruce Driver, Bobby Holik and Scott Gomez to see how New Jersey claim jumpers have done at MSG. Any of youse skeptical about J.P.’s son skating on Broadway?

Who are the Ultimately Fantastic Additions (UFAs)?

The Rangers core is young and strong. But reinforcements are needed to reach the promised land. And they may need to come from outside the organization. Aside from Captain Zach, here’s a list of UFAs (their ages included) for you to ponder:

Paul Gaustad, 30 — The big center would be an ideal fit on the fourth line, a monster on faceoffs and would certainly help add to the growl and grit. Players like this don’t come on the market too often.

Jiri Hudler, 28 — A 25 goal, 50-point left wing raised in the Detroit Red Wings system couldn’t be bad.

Jason Garrison, 27 — Scored 16 goals on the Panther D-line last year – and has a blistering shot from the point.

Dennis Wideman, 29 — Close to 50 points on the Caps blue line this season – a wicked shot from the point. Joins the rush. Would be a lot cheaper than the next guy on the list.

Ryan Suter, 27 — This do-it-all D man who would be a tremendous addition to the team. But the cost would be great.

Other UFAs for your consideration:

Chris Kelly, 31 — Solid 3rd line center — a Cup champion with the Bruins — a jack of all trades. Perhaps the Rangers look this way, if Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov or Brian Boyle are part of a deal for Rick Nash.

Zenon Konopka, 31 — Yes, that Zenon Konopka. Holy Cooke, how good is he on faceoffs? Has the hate you want in the play-ons, too.

Johan Hedberg, 39 — Perhaps the Rangers give the veteran they call Moose a shot if Marty Biron, a UFA himself, bolts Broadway for bigger bucks. Hedberg would be a solid backup to The King.

Is signing Prust a must? — Whattaya think? Brandon Prust is unquestionably one of the “glue” guys, a great teammate and superb penalty killer. Plus, the coach loves him.

What’ll be on tap at the draft? — The Rangers are slated to make the 28th selection in the first round of this season’s NHL Entry Draft. Can Gordie Clarke and company pull a rabbit out of their hats with a pick that low? Or will the team trade the pick as part of a package deal for Nash or another goal-getter?

How will they solve the D-lemma? — The Rangers top 4 D-man are pretty much set and one of the best groups in the entire league. But what about the third pair? Who gets the 5 and 6 spots? Tim Erixon will be given a chance to make the team. Perhaps Dylan McIlrath makes it — if he’s not part of a package deal. Did Anton Stralman show enough to get another look? Was Stu Bickel’s willingness enough to get an encore?
Steve Eminger? The unfortunate uncertainty of the Michael Sauer concussion situation throws a bit of a wrench into this one.

Can the Rangers perform a balancing act? — The Devils rolled four lines. The Rangers did not. The Devils advanced to the Finals. The Rangers did not. They need scoring depth throughout the lineup to help take over close games. Think about it — Games 5 and 6 in the ECF were there for the taking. The Devils were on the ropes at 3-3 in Game 5 and 2-2 in Game 6 — “bent over,” as the coach said. But the Rangers didn’t have enough to put the hammer down. That must change. Derek Stepan must step it up. Brandon Dubinsky — if he’s still around — must rebound. Same goes for Brian Boyle. Chris Kreider will certainly help in this area. By the way, the Amazing Kreider Man has already played 14 more career play-on games and has 4 more career play-on goals than Rick Nash. Just sayin’.

Been a long time since the Rangers went this far through the gauntlet.

Now, its not just a matter of making the postseason for this franchise. Its a matter of getting to the next level, with players who will add both the requisite talent and heightened sense of desperation that are necessary to win the Stanley Cup. Going from where they were a season ago to where they are now was surely a quantum leap. But to go from where they are now, to where they want to go, is certainly going to be much tougher.

answer to your Parise questions.
yes he is worth all the dough that the Rangers will toss at him. what would it say about him if he signed with the rangers? nothing! he would be just like every professional althlete, in every professional sport. take the most money you can get.
also found it interesting you did not mention Anisimov as someone who needed to step up. is that because you don’t think he needs to step up? or because you think he can’t step up, or maybe you think he will be gone?

Another sad story about Boogie. Sounds a bit like the Rangers doctors and the Wild doctor acted somewhat irresponsibly prescribing medication that he was addicted to in the past without even seeing him in person and without collaborating with one another.

So, here’s my current thinking. MDZ is slow, Girardi doesn’t hit the net from the point, Staal may never regain form and he turns it over, and McD may not become a top 3 NHL defenseman. I’m sick of them, what have they done for us?

Good overview, Ben. Thanks!
Again, Zach will sign where the most lucrative contract is offered, plus where he has the best chance to win. Not buying for a second the notion that he will not sign with arch-rival.

I read yesterday’s post with laughs. I think what Torts said has been taken way out of context. When he said they needed to be careful not to overlook certain players to add the offense, I’m sure he meant people who may not be adapt to playing team defense. That he can fix. He didn’t mean locker room cancer. Togetherness is the main asset of this team, you do not change that.

And people who are trading everyone need to remember two things:

1. After the season they had, you do not overhaul the team. You add pieces that fit.
2. There is a good reason professionals make those decisions, not us.

Parise will not sign here. He may well meet to help drive up the price for Detroit. And give people here hope and the ability to say see i told you it’s not about honor. But in the end there’s zero chance he signs here. Guess we’ll see soon enough.

I hear the point on Torts comments but I also think there’s something to be said for not splitting hairs. His core point was we need offense and should be open minded so I don’t read in a distinction on the type of player he is or isn’t open minded about. I’m glad he trusts the culture built within the team to deal with personality issues.

Was watching Prust’s break up day interview. It’s an interesting watch. He basically did everything short of just looking into the camera with tears in his eyes and saying, “GLen, I know you’re a jerk, but please sign me. I love this team. I love my situation. I’ll even take less money.”‘

Knowing Sather he will view this and try to pinch him down. At some point one of them will break and hopefully he will sign.

With any other GM, this would be done, July 1. I hope he doesn’t mess this one up.

Torts called him “heart and soul”. Is there anything else that can be said????

We are one entire line, and one defensive pair away from having the depth to be the best team in the NHL. When the Boyle-Feds-Prust line is our 4th line, we are there, when they are our third line we are not.

Nash is a good fit…Parise is GREAT, but not as good a fit.

Schultz is a good fit…..what is the story with these young Swedes ? any potential to make the team?

I can’t wait to see McIlrath….I wonder if he is as strong and tough as we have heard from time to time….did someone once say he can be another Hatcher ? We need that !

Vitaly- As of this year max salary for ELC is $925K. 21 yr old or younger signs 3 year deal, 22-2, and over 23-1 yr deal. The signing bonus is capped at 10% of salary. The player can also earn performance bonuses at 2 different levels ( team paid, and league paid). Altogether, the max EL player can earn is close to $2M, give or take. That is much more restrictive than was allowed by previous CBA, and it will, most likely, become even more restrictive with the next one.

Gaustad is good at what he does but anything more than 2 mil for him is too much. I would rather have Oscar Lindberg. He is great on faceoffs and is fast with good passing skill. He is just not a great finisher yet.

Radulov is a tremendous talent. He is also a bit of a strange puppy. I would give him 3 mil one year with incentives that can add another 1mil. Mostly team based incentives. I believe he would still be an rfa which would give us some protection.

All the NYR bias aside … does the fact that J.Schultz played with Stepan & McD and the fact that they’re playing for NYR have a role in his decision? Does the fact that K.Kreider & C.Hagelin have been given the opportunity to step right in and contribute play a role? Does the fact that NYR made it to ECF and have a gaping need of a PP QB play a role? Or has he already made up his mind where he wants to play and is just waiting to sign with that team??

All interesting questions that should be answered in a month’s time or so.

Vitaly: You would think, given all of what you wrote and the fact that his salary is pre-set, we’d be in great shape. We can more or less promise him Stralman’s spot and still have one open for Erixon or Bickel or whoever.

czechthemout!!!! — Actually, Suter is a powerplay quarterback. He had 25 points on the man advantage this year — one more than our leader, Brichards. Hudler is another talented player but consider who he gets to play with on Detriot — plus the guy only had like 18 blocked shots and less than 50 hits, can’t see him fitting in here for the amount he’s going to make (I would assume near $3.5 to $4 mil).
Not many people have mentioned Kings’ Jarret Stoll (UFA) — though he’ll cash somewhere this summer, he is awesome in the faceoff dot and plays with an edge.

2.5 per year he made 2.3 last year. he could easily be a much better upgrade then mitchell and his faceoff percentage is one of the uppwer echelon in league. kills penalties and plays well in the right role. for christ sake we pay rupp 1.5

I worry in this salary cap world, the road to the cup is to get an affordable goalie that gets hot. Hank is so solid, but his contract hurts depth compared to the team that gets hot. Look at the Caps…they had zero dollars in net…they missed a big opportunity.

I think the NYR would be fine to just nab Schultz and Radulov. They are still a strong team, and this will allow for a trade later in the season. Weber becomes much more plausible at that point (assuming he isn’t signed by then).

When I think of Radulov, I hate to be this way, but I think of Kovalev. High talent, erratic, but could finish nicely. He has more power forward to him than Kovie, but, damn, MVP in the KHL? That’s impressive.

Kovalev was certainly better when the great leadership of Messier was in the locker room. I guess one could say we have many good leaders on this team. I am expecting Richards is a good leader. Callie. And there’s a lot of good character shown by many players.

The real key to these erratic talents is the playoffs, not the regular season. What happens when the pressure is on? Will he perform? Was he acting like a jerk because he never liked Nashville? Or, is he just a jerk, anyway?

We have such good chemistry in the room right now. Is it worth it to upset it? These are risks a GM gets paid the big bucks to take. Good luck, Glen.

“like what? like he won’t pay for his drinks at Hank’s bar? again, we have THE GREAT RUPP! He will fix it all!”

Anything from “he’s actually a dog, Torts will hate him and it’ll be like having Wolski right back on the cap” to “he’s just another talented guy with flaws and it will drive me insane reading about how every game he doesn’t score a goal is proof he doesn’t care”. I’d just rather avoid it altogether; we’re probably good enough where the risk-reward of a talented enigma isn’t worth it.

Radulov would be a good fit for this team. He’s got kind of a nasty streak and a style that is more reminiscent of the North American game than most Russians. But if I’m overpaying for a player, it would be Bobby Ryan. They’d probably cost about the same and Ryan hasn’t screwed his team by bolting to the KHL. With Radulov, you’ve always got to wonder whether he’ll get fed up and leave. He does that one more time and no NHL team is going to want him.

Like I said, Schultz will be the pp qb if he signs here. We are the most attractive option for him.

We have a spot ready made for his assets and talent. We are a young talented team with a coach who is not afraid to play young players. And we will be in contention for the Stanley Cup for at least the next five seasons.

Not a single team the is mentioned as a possible landing spot for him can make that claim. And I haven’t even talked about how attractive it is to play in NY and for the Rangers. That’s just gravy.

I am aware of his power play points. The is, Suter basically just feeds the puck over to Weber for his bomb. That’s how their entire power play works. Weber is the key there, not Suter. That’s not to take anything away from him. He is a very good defenseman but is not great and we should have to pay him elite dollars. He would be the highest paid dman on the team but not the best. McD is a better player already than Suter.

However, if they can somehow pry Weber out of Nashville, that would be great!

Suter again? He will earn $6M per, where would he play on this team? Left side is Staal, McD and MDZ. Even if MDZ isn’t here next year, are we giving McD or Staal 3-rd pair minutes? Or do you think they will play a $6M Suter as a third pair? They need R handed shot, not L handed. Doubt they are interested…..

I’m not doubting the kid has talent, but everyone needs to lower their expectations. Reminds me of when NYR signed MZA. Everyone was arguing over whether he’ll play first line or second line, and they were sooo sure of themselves. Where did he end up? The AHL. Prust sayin’! And I don’t care aboot the comparisons Fat Boy McKenzie makes. People are expecting a little too much from a college kid.

I believe if they can sign this kid, it’s a home run, unless, like Orr said, we expect him to take the PP over right away. Girardi, retain Stralman, resign Bickel to play #7. They are good to go. Let the kid develop.

I agree with ORR. I just don’t see anyone that isn’t an established veteran coming in and taking over the PP immediately let alone making the team immediately. Torts is not going to give people positions based on potential. He will hand out ice time based on performance.

Also, Brad Richards is the PP quarterback until further notice. He just needs someone with a huge shot, ahem, Jason Garrison.

For whatever reason a higher percentage of NHL defenseman are left shooting. Many of them make the transition to the right side. Though some can’t pivot right and so have to stay on the left- I remember Phil Esposito once saying that as a strange but true fact about Bobby Orr.

Oh also, I meant to say, and ilb reminded me, someone is obviously going to get injured on our Defense over the course of the year. Depth should never be something we fear because we need as many hands on deck as we can afford.

“Depth should never be something we fear because we need as many hands on deck as we can afford.”

From a management standpoint, absolutely. But if you’re a guy like Stralman, don’t you see that as a sign you could easily be sitting healthy for half of the year? Chasing Schultz and possibly other FA defensemen, Erixon (and McIlrath) as 1st round picks in CT, Sauer a wild card, Bickel (if he resigns) a Torts guy … just seems like its a bad place for a veteran who knows 4 defense positions are locked in with Staal/Girardi/McD/MDZ. If Stralman does come back, and I’d bet hard against it, it would be a late signing if nothing else panned out.

That is true, the doctor. I was just looking at it from a fan’s point of view (specifically mine). If we have too many guys I guess we could try and move a guy like Strahlman. Someone has to be interested in him. He did score a bunch of goals in the Playoffs. Specifically PP goals.

I am not sure hhow many starts Fleury had, but I am sure the Pens have realized that the Rangers strategy of having a very solid backup starting 15-20 games is important to keep your goalie fresh. I thinkFleury was just exhausted and burnt out down the stretch for them and it killed them. Vokoun is a great backup, wish we had made that move. nothing against Biron but Vokoun is a better choice.

And can someone please explain to me what Gaustad brings to the table that Boyle does not? Because if we are spending millions on our bottome six here then we should slot Boyle in as a fourth line cernter and PK guy along with Prust and eithe Rupp/Feds and spend that money on a third line center who can truly score.

‘heads, you are realizing you are about to give up half of the team’s core for one guy, Nash, or give another Richards-like contract to Parise? Both options are nuts! Sign Radulov for one year, I say. With this locker room, he’s not going to screw around.

Honestly I won’t be upset if the Rangers don’t do much this offseason. Sign a solid 4th line player. Add a depth defenseman and let the team fill in with organizational players. The only thing I would like to see them do is add Justin Schultz if possible. I don’t however, believe the hype around him. He will be a solid defensemen in this league but to think he will step right in and be our best offensive defensemen is a stretch.

This is from espn.com’s article on the 1993 Kings. It sorta makes you like Slats:

Kings Play-by-play guy Miller: “One of the bigger moments in that playoff run happened in Game 5 against Vancouver when Gary Shuchuk scored the game winner in double overtime at the old Pacific Coliseum. It was the longest game in Kings history. Shuchuk was actually injured in the third period. He was hit by Canucks defenseman Gerald Diduck and was woozy and went to the dressing room and it didn’t look like he would come back. He not only ended up coming back but scored the biggest goal of his career. It reminded me of that time when one of (former Oilers coach) Glen Sather’s players was knocked silly and didn’t know who he was and Sather said, “Good, tell him he’s Wayne Gretzky.”

You guys DO remember that Radulov was suspended by his coach for partying until 3AM the night before a playoff game, right? And his team won the game while he was benched? You want him on our team why, exactly?

Blogmama, great link!! I myself, am active in recovery 4+ years, due to an addiction to prescription pain pills from knee surgery I had back in 2007. Also have a younger brother who has been on and off those darn pills for 10+ years and is currently in the hospital due to his drug use… It’s really sad how recklessly these prescriptions are handed out, without out any warning of how addicting pain pills are, from doctors. Thankfully the DEA is cracking down on pain management doctors… Still really sad to hear someone lose their life in that kind of way

I dont think Stralman is hungry for money. I think it’s a matter of his family preferring to live in Sweden than the US and him wanting to be closer to them.

Radulov stays out one night partying and suddenly he’s the ant-Christ.he made a mistake. he paid for it. let it go. The Kings gave carter another chance, they gave richards another chance, rangers signed redden after his cocain addiction ( i dont even know how true this is/was), rangers signed boogaard knowing he was an addict….

Manny I think you’re right, most are against. Poll would certainly confirm this, especially if it’s simply a thumbs up or down on Radulov. Here’s the real question:

“With the Rangers offensive challenges and now Gaborik’s injury, if the Rangers can at little cost sign a 26 year old highly skilled player with substantial upside but with past serious disciplinary issues, should they do it?”

Carp thats a fair point on not making a move bc of Gabby but it is an additional factor to take into account. Even when he comes back it may take a while to get comfortable. I had same surgery playing in college.

Meanwhile do you really think a lockout is likely, is that the view out there? I’ve been assuming they’d figure out a way not to shoot themselves in the foot again but admittedly haven’t been following the issues closely.

the best thing for the ranger may be to have the season start after thanksgiving. more rest for gabby bring in another scorer and you dont have to worry about playing without gabby for two months and getting off to a slow start.

Yes, I think there’s a better than 50/50 shot there will be a lockout that at least pushes back training camp and the start of the season. Do I think they’re dumb enough to slap the fans around and significantly shorten or even cancel the season? Yes, I do.

As far as Radulov goes, if he can be had for a 1st round pick (preferably this year’s #28), Sather has to do it. We need secondary scoring. But we also need more than one player. This is value. This is like the Avery deal: Enigmatic player with a low price tag. If Sather gets him for nothing more than picks/prospects, then it’s a no-brainer.

Sergei Fedorov is a great guy. Met him through a business partner one summer, and not even knowing me he invited me to skate with him and some guys he skated with a couple of times a week to get in shape before heading off to Columbus for the season. He carried a case of beer in his bag for the guys to have in the room after the skate, guys he barely knew, Hung out and talked hockey.

By the way some of my impressions about Rick Nash, who Sergei played with at the time, were based on what Sergei said about him. Then again, Sergei being the kind of guy he is spoke well about everyone on that team and even the city of Columbus. :)

Killed us with that goal against Hank in the playoffs but if anyone was going to score it I’m glad it was him.

Like these guest blogs. No Radulov. No crazy Russians please. I used to like Kovalev, as big and strong and fast and skilled as he was, but I finally got tired of watching him doing Figure 8s out there most nights.

Well you don’t want Anisimov mixing up with Radulov ever. Even if it’s a trade they might bump into each other at the airport, talk about their weird shag-esque haircuts and then start drinking. Then the NHL loses both players.

There’s no question Radulov is a better player than Anisimov (although someone here was thoroughly convinced based on his talent evaluation that Zherdev is better than Radulov so…) but trading Anisimov just for the RIGHTS of Anisimov is a mistake.

No, Carp. Don’t even go there. No way Fleury is moved. None! Who are they going to get? Luongo? Why would they trade a Vezina caliber goalie for having a bad playoff run behind one of the most porous and horrendous defenses ever invented.

20 goals? He score 26 goals and 58 points in his only full NHL season back in 07 playing pretty much by himself in Nashville. You can look it up yourself… it’s no secret.

How many games have any of you seen him play? I’ve seen more than a few since i do follow the KHL… this kid is a complete player. As i said before, i’m indifferent… yes Radulov no Radulov… aside from some of his attitude issues it’s just unfair to label him in any way because he competes on the ice.

CCCP, i wholeheartedly agree with you. Im pretty sure most people here havent seen Radulov play except in these playoffs. Theyve probably never watched a single KHL game. Yes Radulov no radulov it wont really matter to me but basically calling him just another average player like Anisimov, zherdev, and frolov is not very smart, especially when judging on the 2 or 3 games youve seen him play at his lowest.

The only problem I have with Radulov is the fact that a team that had serious aspirations of winning the cup decided to scratch him from two games. That says more than anything else. Not doubting his talent at all. He may have gotten away with that stuff in the KHL all the time. Who knows. However, he took advantage of the lack of agreement between the NHL and Russia and walked out on his Preds contract, then he goes out drinking during the playoffs. To me, it seems like he is dominated by a me-first attitude that won’t fly on the Rangers. Could they use his talent? No doubt. Will that stuff fly on this team. Nope. I think he is 10 ft pole material.

Radulov is a really good player who did not do the right thing by going to play in Russia. It was a rash decision made by an immature 22 year old kid. He does not play the typical easy west euro game but does have a lot of skill and takes the body a lot more than BR DS AA MG and others. I think he would be a really good but not great player for us. And I would certainly be willing to take a chance on him.

And why is Frolov getting a rap here as being lazy? He wasn’t lazy. He was just too slow. He took the body if he was able. Again, he just didn’t get there because of his lack of speed. Just like rangers report favorite and lockeroom guru par excellance, Mike Rupp. Of course, Frolov didn’t take a stupid penalty all the time like Rupp does.

How can the Pens take on more salary?!? They need to MOVE salary. This is why Jordan Staal was rumored to be on the market. Are the Pens gonna trade him knowing he is a good playoff performer, or move Fleury who was worse than Bryzgalov in the playoffs (which is hard to imagine, but true)?

Even if the Pens can’t hold on to their stars, they wont trade Fleury. He’s one of the of the top goalies in the league. Unless you’re like the Nucks, and you have a Schneider , then you can afford to take a chance trading Fleury.

The thing about Radulov, is that it is rolling the dice. What did Glen pay for Frolov? What did he pay for Avery? Zherdev was a disappointment, but he only cost Glen Fedor Tyutin. We had a dozen Tyutins laying around, and no scoring. What did Glen pay for Avery? Radulov is a wild card. Buy low, and hope for the best.

wow CCCP,
have not seen you this fired up in a while. you have convinced me on Radulov, but I would not trade Anisimov for his rights, and I am one of his biggest fans. now if they have a wink wink deal were he is already signed, and its going to cost Anisimov, then I would probably do it. only because CCCP has me convinced.

well if that stiff can block shots he would fit right in on this team.
you convinced me on Radulov because you have strong feelings on him, and he may make sense. the Nash trade price may be to high, and there are no guarantees Parise signs with the Rangers. Radulov has big skill, and may be the cheapest ( in all ways) to get.

Anyone watch that Inside the Playoffs on NHL Network last night? It was pretty cool. One of the best parts is when you hear a mic’d up Shane Doan set up a play at the bench, and then on the next shift they go out and score a goal. I think the dman that got absolutely used was Shea Weber, but that is neither here nor there.

If Prust leaves and I hope he doesn’t, maybe Boyle can go into the lockeroom and see the Svengali of the room Mike Rupp. He will console him and also give him tips on his skating, shooting,passing,and faceoffs. I mean he has such a vast amount of experience in all facets of the game. Including but not limited to taking dumb penalties.

Read that tweet about what Mess said and All I can say is: Mess and Me –> Vibin’

Been saying, despite what Torts and even Carps says, the team tired because of the lack of depth. Why that’s hard to admit and say is beyond me. Thank you, Mess. I mean, really, the lack of depth is part of an organization FINALLY building itself the right way. Were not there yet, but we are moving in the right direction. Nice to hear it!!Although Mess was very careful to say that Glen had done a “great job” in putting people in the right places……like Gord Clark, and other ‘advisors’ that real GM’s don’t need (and he stopped short in saying anything complimentary about his ability to make trades, draft, do anything real GM’s do)…the bottom line is that this organization took a big step this year. For the guys that Torts played, and played all the time to the tune of 20-30 minutes a game, it’s nothing negative being said about you guys. If you did tire, damn, it’s understandable. But the core, a bunch of mostly kids, learned what it takes. Tired or not, they will grow from this experience.

Not to stir that poisonous pot again, but most of the Russian Sport media and Radulov’s KHL agent Yury Nikolaev today are talking (not speculating) as of a done deal for him to go to Moscow CSKA, which, btw, acquired his older brother Igor from St.Peterburg SKA in advance (as a bate?), for compensation of 260 mil. Rubles (about US $ 8.125mil.) to “Salavat Yulaev”’s rights. THANKS A LOT! SPASIBO! …if really happens.
P.S But Slats was for real, jumped to this Radu jackwagon. Fact. Arghhh.